A blog by Bas Bleu, champions of the odd little book

Category Archives: Books Make It Better

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October 11 is the International Day of the Girl Child, an event created by the United Nations in 2012 to “highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” This occasion, combined with recent events in the United States, has us thinking about female voices and how they are reflected and recorded in our culture. In our case, that means thinking about books. Continue reading →

As bookish kids, Bas Bleu’s editors tackled summer reading with gusto! We were big fans of our public libraries’ summer reading programs, accruing points and vying for prizes as we devoured story after story. Rainy days stuck indoors were often spent working our way through the stacks we carted home from our weekly library trips. We spent hours perched in shady trees or hammocks, immersing ourselves in books. Continue reading →

If you’ve ever stood in a grocery-store checkout line, you’ve read the absurd, often conflicting blurbs on the magazine covers displayed there—“10 Easiest Weight-Loss Tricks” is inevitably paired with “5 Reasons This Chocolate Cake Will Change Your Life” and “16 Top Tips for Landing Mr. Right” paired with “6 Signs You’re Better Off Single.” During a recent shopping trip, the Bas Bleu editors got to thinking: What headlines would such a magazine pair with classic books, to lure in readers? Continue reading →

And we have a winner! It was a close fight, but our bookish battle royale could have only one victor: Miss Elizabeth Bennet! Carried to victory by your votes (and your affection for Jane Austen), our beloved Lizzie proved once again “there is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” More than two hundred years after she was introduced to the world, Lizzie continues to inspire, enchant, and amuse. Thanks to everyone who voted during this year’s Bas Bleu Tournament of Classics. Though Lizzie won the day, all of our competitors are winners in the hearts of readers the world over, for whom they have provided solace, guidance, entertainment, and more, all from the pages of classic novels. Happy reading, bluestockings!

In the beginning, there were sixteen. Now, there are two. Two fiercely independent, strongly opinionated, keen-minded women who refused to settle for second-best, even when their choices exposed them to criticism and derision from society. Elizabeth Bennet and Jo March have been heralded by generations of readers, admired by millions who read Pride and Prejudice and Little Women until the pages were worn and the spines cracked. Both have earned permanent places in our hearts…but only one can claim the crown in Bas Bleu‘s Tournament of Classics 2017. Cast your vote! Continue reading →

We’re down to the semifinal round in Bas Bleu‘s Tournament of Classics 2017. Lively Miss Bennet, she of the “fine eyes,” triumphed over the cunning Scarlett (who swore to fight on, but another day). Plucky Anne Shirley and precocious Scout Finch claimed twin victories over Hester Prynne and Jane Eyre. Jo March’s battle to the wits with Miss Marple was a tough one…ceded only, we suspect, because there was a murder in St. Mary Mead requiring the attention of England’s top sleuth. Continue reading →

Wow! After five days of fierce literary debate (nearly 1,000 votes from avid readers), eight competitors still stand in this year’s Tournament of Classics. All are giants of the book world and beloved role models for many a bluestocking…but only one will be crowned champion of Bas Bleu’s literature-themed March MadnessTM. You know the drill: Vote in the polls below to determine who will advance to the Final Four! Continue reading →

For those readers new to the Bluestocking Salon, Bas Bleu’s Tournament of Classics is our annual tribute to college basketball’s March Madness™, in which we pit literary classics against one another in a “big dance” to victory. In years past, your favorite classic novels, children’s stories, mysteries/thrillers, and literary villains jockeyed for the grand prize. This year, the tournament belongs to the women, as sixteen beloved and unforgettable literary heroines face off. (Click on bracket to enlarge.)

In January, we announced Bas Bleu would host our own 2016 presidential election, with your favorite literary characters as the candidates. You sent in your nominations, then helped us narrow down the nominees to six teams. Since then, we have presented our readers with the candidates’ biographies, platform issues, and schedules of campaign events. Continue reading →